Effects of TiO2 electron blocking layer on photovoltaic performance of photo-electrochemical cell

• We fabricated porous Ti/TiO2 films using a combined RF-sputtering (RFS)/Sol-gel combustion (SGC) method.
• The Ti/TiO2 layers prepared by combined RFS/SGC method show the good impedance characteristics.
• The efficiency (η) of prepared TCO-less DSCs sample is 5.73 % [ff: 0.76, Voc: 0.71V, Jsc: 10.61 mA/cm2].

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have used transparent conductive Fluorine-doped SnO2 (FTO) glass/porous TiO2 layer attached using dye molecules/electrolytes (I−/I3−)/Platinium-coated FTO glass configuration. In this work, prior to the coating of nanoporous TiO2 layer on FTO glass, a dense layer of TiO2 film with a thickness of less than ∼100 nm was deposited directly onto the FTO as an electron blocking layer by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Under 100 mW/cm2 illumination at AM 1.5, the energy conversion efficiency (η) of the prepared DSC with electron blocking layer of 80 nm thickness was 6.9% (Voc = 0.67 V, Jsc = 12.18 mA/cm2, ff = 0.63), which is increased by 1.3% compared to the typical cell without electron blocking layer.

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